SukkhaCitta
Photo courtesy of SukkhaCitta
Denica Flesch brought her vision of producing ‘meaningful clothes’ to life with SukkhaCitta in 2016, a slow and ethical Indonesian fashion brand. The brand designs and produces clothing for women and men, offering a wide range of sustainable garments that can be customized. Flesch describes SukkhaCitta to be distanced from the idea of fashion, seasons, and trends, but rather as an initiative for change within the fashion industry. Since the startup was founded, it has received recognition from the United Nations Development Programme and National Geographic for its commitment to sustainable and ethical production of clothes. In 2021, SukkhaCitta received mention by the SEED Low Carbon Award for ‘turning fashion into a powerhouse for sustainable development’.
Photo of Denica Flesch courtesy of @SukkhaCitta on Instragram
Each piece of clothing at SukkhaCitta is handmade by local women in rural Indonesian villages and the brand prides itself in supporting 1432 local lives through employment. Factories are not used at any stage of production in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as empowering the local women and detaching from the culture of labour exploitation in the garment manufacturing industry. The initiative taken by SukkhaCitta has resulted in a 60% increase in average incomes of the local women who work for the brand. Part of their proceeds are used to finance 4 craft schools in rural villages where women can improve their craft skills and enter the textiles sector with higher level of command in artistry.
Photo courtesy of SukkhaCitta
‘Through layers of factories and middlemen, she’s kept small and invisible. We’re here to change that.’ - Denica Flesch on empowering indigenous women who work as laborers in the textiles industry.
Image courtesy of SukkhaCitta
SukkhaCitta translates to happiness from Indonesian and truly, the brand is cause for happiness when envisioning the future of slow fashion. Their fabrics are made from plant fibers and natural sugar dyes that are 100% traceable to local women farmers. Chemical dyes that are commonly used in fast fashion make up 20% of industrial water pollution globally, which is why SukkhaCitta has devoted resources and labour into creating their own natural sugar dyes. Taking it a step forward, since 2020 SukkhaCitta has been sourcing their own cotton through local regenerative farming, preventing soil degradation and loss of biodiversity in the area.
Photo courtesy of SukkhaCitta
Their pieces are designed to be timeless and quotidian, staples for every wardrobe. Whilst their fabrics ensure durability, SukkhaCitta also offers free repairs on their items to prevent clothes from becoming landfill. Even if it’s time for a wardrobe clean-out, SukkhaCitta takes back their clothes and recycles them for future projects, or as they call it the #ReMadeRight movement.
To read more about SukkhaChitta and their sustainability journey, visit www.sukkhacitta.com
